It is well known that the assembly of a motor often requires the placement of component parts thereof into a housing. Typically, the commutator shaft is mounted on a bearing to be received by a housing bore. Previously, it has been known to secure the bearing within the bore by a retaining ring received within a circumferential groove about the bore sidewall, the retaining ring engaging the bearing. In such prior art structures, the retaining ring is placed within the groove after the bearing has been appropriately positioned within the bore. Typically, special pliers are used for placing and/or removing the retaining ring from the groove. In such a prior art structure the retaining ring must be inserted into the bore while compressed and then aligned with the groove in order to be received therein. This alignment is often difficult, as the pliers impair visual alignment and the required compression force tends to twist the ring slightly. Accordingly, the prior art techniques and structures have been labor intensive.
The prior art has been particularly difficult to implement when the motor housing is located in an awkward position or in poorly lighted conditions. Such makes consistently positive locking difficult, frequently allowing for vibration and displacement of the bearing within the bore. By way of example, when the motor is integrated into a machine such that the motor housing is shrouded and positioned vertically within the shroud and access to the motor can only be made through a relatively small access panel, visual alignment of a conventional snap ring within the housing bore is difficult at best, if not impossible. Accordingly, there is a risk that the ring is not fully engaged between the groove and the bearing.
There is clearly a need in the art for a bearing retaining device which is easy to install and which can consistently provide positive locking of the bearing within a housing without the need for visual alignment.